Attachment parenting is a unique and challenging style emphasizing close, emotional bonds between parents and their children. It is beneficial for child development and parent-child relationships but can be challenging to implement in a household full of busy people. In this blog, we will explain everything you need to know about attachment parenting to raise your children in this style successfully.
What is attachment parenting?
American pediatrician Dr. William Sears and his wife Martha, a registered nurse, first established attachment parenting. It’s based on recognizing your child’s needs and demands and responding to them sensitively.
Dr. Sears believes this is nothing new nor a passing trend; it’s a way of parenting practiced throughout history and comes naturally to parents. What are the benefits of attachment parenting?
What does attachment parenting involve?
While there are no set rules with attachment parenting, there are certain principles involved that parents are encouraged to follow to create that special connection with their child:
1. Bonding through touch and creating
A bond through communication is a crucial element of attachment parenting and starts the minute your baby is placed in your arms and you feel that skin-to-skin contact. This physical connection helps to create a solid emotional bond between parent and child.
2. Babywearing
Keeping your baby close is extended into ‘babywearing,’ where you have your baby constantly with you, either on your back or front in a sling or pouch.
This helps keep both mother and baby calm and fuss-free and helps strengthen the relationship between the two.
3. Co-sleeping
According to Attachment Parenting International, various sleep training techniques can offer “detrimental physiological and psychological effects” on children with just as many needs at night as they do during the day, such as fear, loneliness, hunger, and being hot or too cold.
Co-sleeping is believed to be the safest way for your baby to sleep, allowing both a chance for uninterrupted rest. How can attachment parenting be implemented in a busy household?
4. Breastfeeding
Breastfeeding encourages a strong bond between mother and child and is an integral part of attachment parenting, as is feeding on demand and self-weaning.
This teaches an infant that the parent is there to meet his needs, day or night, and continues that physical bond between mother and child for as long as desired.
5. Immediate response to baby’s cries
There are varying opinions on responding to a crying baby or toddler, with many advising against an instant response. However, attachment parenting recommends the opposite, where parents intervene before crying gets out of control.
This allows for a calm and consistent atmosphere in the household, which benefits child development and parent-child relationships.
Attachment parenting criticisms
Many believe this form of child-focused parenting will spoil the child, encouraging them to cry until they get what they want and constantly demand to be fed.
Others feel that attachment parenting is too demanding and does not allow for enough independence in the child. What are some tips for implementing attachment parenting successfully?
The benefits of attachment parenting
A great deal of research has been done on the benefits of attachment parenting, with varying results; however, there is an overwhelming number of benefits.
A study in Psychology Today explains that attached children have lower stress levels, cry less often and show higher levels of empathy. They also tend to be physically healthier and have better immune systems.
How can attachment parenting be implemented successfully in a busy household?
Attachment parenting is a style of parenting that emphasizes close, emotional bonds between parents and their children.
It has been shown to benefit child development and parent-child relationships, but it can take time for busy people to implement into their lives. This blog post will explain how attachment parenting can work well in an active lifestyle.
Conclusion
Attachment parenting is a style of parenting that emphasizes close emotional bonds between the parents and their children. It has many benefits, which we discussed in detail above.
If you’re interested in trying out this type of parenting, read our blog post and follow the tips outlinedIt refers to a parenting style in which parents emphasize close, emotional bonds between themselves and their children.
